James Alexander Jr. (October 17, 1789 – September 5, 1846) was a

United States representative The United States House of Representatives, often referred to as the House of Representatives, the U.S. House, or simply the House, is the lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the Senate being the upper chamber. Together they ...

from

Ohio Ohio () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States. Of the fifty U.S. states, it is the 34th-largest by area, and with a population of nearly 11.8 million, is the seventh-most populous and tenth-most densely populated. The sta ...

. Born near

Delta, Pennsylvania Delta is a borough in York County, Pennsylvania, United States, and one of the southernmost communities in Pennsylvania. The population was 706 at the 2020 census. It is served by the South Eastern School District which provides a public education ...

, he moved to the

Northwest Territory The Northwest Territory, also known as the Old Northwest and formally known as the Territory Northwest of the River Ohio, was formed from unorganized western territory of the United States after the American Revolutionary War. Established in 1 ...

in 1799 with his father, who settled in what is now

St. Clairsville, Ohio St. Clairsville is a city in and the county seat of Belmont County, Ohio, United States. The population was 5,096 at the 2020 census. It is part of the Wheeling metropolitan area. History The seat of justice of Belmont County was originally know ...

. He engaged in agricultural pursuits, in river transportation on the

and

Mississippi River The Mississippi River is the second-longest river and chief river of the second-largest drainage system in North America, second only to the Hudson Bay drainage system. From its traditional source of Lake Itasca in northern Minnesota, it f ...

s, and, later, in mercantile pursuits in St. Clairsville. He was a member of the

Ohio House of Representatives The Ohio House of Representatives is the lower house of the Ohio General Assembly, the state legislature of the U.S. state of Ohio; the other house of the bicameral legislature being the Ohio Senate. The House of Representatives first met in ...

in 1830 and again in 1833 and 1834, and served as associate judge of the

Court of Common Pleas A court of common pleas is a common kind of court structure found in various common law jurisdictions. The form originated with the Court of Common Pleas at Westminster, which was created to permit individuals to press civil grievances against one ...

in 1831. Alexander was elected as a Whig to the

Twenty-fifth Congress The 25th United States Congress was a meeting of the legislative branch of the United States federal government, consisting of the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives. It met in Washington, D.C. from March 4, 183 ...

, holding office from March 4, 1837 to March 3, 1839. He was an unsuccessful candidate for reelection in 1838 to the Twenty-sixth Congress, and returned to St. Clairsville and resumed his former business pursuits; he purchased a large tract of property in

Wheeling, Virginia Wheeling is a city in the U.S. state of West Virginia. Located almost entirely in Ohio County, West Virginia, Ohio County, of which it is the county seat, it lies along the Ohio River in the foothills of the Appalachian Mountains and also contain ...

(now West Virginia) in 1843 and moved to that city, living in retirement until his death. He was an extensive owner of farming land in the State of

Illinois Illinois ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern United States. Its largest metropolitan areas include the Chicago metropolitan area, and the Metro East section, of Greater St. Louis. Other smaller metropolita ...

. He died, while visiting his son in

McNabb, Illinois McNabb is a village in Putnam County, Illinois, United States. The population was 285 at the 2010 census, down from 310 in 2000. It is part of the Ottawa Micropolitan Statistical Area. Just outside of McNabb is the Clear Creek Meeting House, one ...

in 1846; interment was in Scotch Ridge Cemetery, eight miles north of St. Clairsville.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Alexander, James Jr. 1789 births 1846 deaths Politicians from York County, Pennsylvania Whig Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Ohio Members of the Ohio House of Representatives Ohio state court judges People from St. Clairsville, Ohio 19th-century American judges